1. TEST #5 Lecture Notes Progressivism
VUS8

2. Working Conditions
Working conditions in the American industries were many times awful and very dangerous
Many children were forced to work
Families needed the children to work and make $ or the family could not survive
Most people worked at least a 10 hour workday
People were paid barely enough for survival
No money was left over for luxuries
Most $ went toward housing, food, and clothing
Workers had no job security
Workers had no benefits
Many people refer to these type of factories as sweatshops

3. Company towns began to rise up around factories
Towns run by the company (factory) owners
Most of the money earned by workers was given back to the owners when people purchased items in the town
As more immigrants came to the US, the labor supply increased
This increase caused a competition for jobs
This competition caused wages to be lower for the workers— actually like by the factory owners

5. Unions
Because working conditions were so bad, many of the workers and some government officials began to speak out
Workers realized they needed to ban together in order to get changes
The workers will create labor unions
Unions will favor restricting immigration
Reduction in labor supply would increase wages

6. Formed in 1869 by a group of tailors
1.) Knights of Labor:
The 1st national labor union to remain active for more than a few years
Formed in 1869 by a group of tailors
1880s: the union grew into a national organization
Will eventually accept all employed people
Farmers
Merchants
Unskilled workers
Proposed laws to cut the workday down to 8 hours
Proposed equal pay for men and women

8. 2.) American Federation of Labor (AFL): Led by Samuel Gompers
The largest labor organization
Represented about 1.5 million workers
Organized from skilled workers
Became a national union in the early 1900s
Called for reforms, but did not trust the government
Saw a strong union as more capable of working with industry owners than the government
Advocated using strikes to improve wages and hours
Used boycotts as a means of peaceful protest

9. Samuel Gompers

10. 3.) American Railway Union:
Led by Eugene V. Debs
United railway workers

11. 4.) Industrial Ladies Garments Workers Union:
Union created for seamstresses
Fought to get an 8-hour workday for the workers

12. Labor Strikes
For unions to get changes, most had to go on strike—a work stoppage
The unions wanted to help the workers get reduce hours and more pay
Strikes could become very violent

13. 1.) Haymarket Square:
1886: workers went on strike in Chicago
Striking workers held a protest at Haymarket Square in Chicago
They were protesting after the Chicago police had shot 4 strikers
The rally turned violent and became a riot after a bomb exploded and police opened fire on the crowd
7 police were killed
4 labor leaders will be executed for their crimes

14. Haymarket Square Video
Haymarket Square Riot
Haymarket Square Video

15. 2.) Homestead Strike:
1892: steelworkers were striking in Homestead, PA at one of Andrew Carnegie’s steel plants
A battle broke out between the striking steel workers and the strike breakers
When it was over 13 people were dead

16. Homestead Strike Video

17. 3.) Pullman Strike:
1894: Railway workers, led by Eugene V. Debs, refused to switch the Pullman Company’s rail cars from one track to another
Federal troops were brought in by the U. S. Attorney General
Many people in the US began to fear an international conspiracy
Anti-labor sentiment began to grow in the US
Many saw a need for the American Government to get involved in industry

19. Progressivism
Progressivism was the name given to the different reform movements that attempted to fix problems associated with immigration, city growth, and the increasing power of giant corporations
The movement was spurred on by several things:
The excesses of the “Gilded Age” (Glittered with wealth, but rotten to the core)
Income disparity between the classes—the rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer
Practices of the Robber Barons (powerful business men and bankers)
They used whatever means necessary to make themselves rich
Bad working conditions for labor
Child labor
Long hours
Low wages
Lack of job security
Lack of benefits
Company towns
Employment for women

20. The progressive reformers wanted to do a lot:
A government controlled by the people
Government regulation of big business
To get rid of social injustices
Pass laws protecting workers and the poor
Reform town and state governments

21. Writers who were involved with the spirit of reform
1.) Muckrakers:
Writers who were involved with the spirit of reform
These writers tried to motivate the public on certain issues
Upton Sinclair
Wrote the book The Jungle
He wrote about the disgusting conditions under which food, especially meat, was prepared
Ida Tarbell
Wrote History of the Standard Oil Company
Book described how John Rockefeller amassed his power and wealth

22. Florence Kelley Jane Adams Exposed the hazards of child labor
Showed that children were working in the most hazardous conditions in factories
She wanted the federal government to outlaw child labor
She organized boycotts against goods manufactured by children
Jane Adams
Created Hull House (a settlement house)
Immigrants and the poor could come and learn English, talk about politics
Hull House also took care of the sick and injured

25. Florence Kelley

26. Jane Adams’ Hull House

27. 2.) Meat Inspection Act:
Brought about by Sinclair’s The Jungle
1906: President T. Roosevelt pushed the Meat Inspection Act through Congress
Strict standards were set for meat-packers
A system of federal meat inspection was created
Outlawed the use of misleading labels
Outlawed the used of dangerous chemical preservatives

29. 3.) Pure Food and Drug Act:
Passed on the same day as the Meat Inspection Act
The act was a response to falsely labeled drugs for the healing of all sorts of ailments
Prohibited the manufacture, sale, or shipment of impure or falsely labeled foods in interstate commerce
Contents had to be accurately labeled

30. 4.) National Parks:
Some parts of the American wilderness were being run by industry and big business
Many conservationists (Johan Muir) persuaded the federal government to create 13 forest reserves with over 21 million acres of land
Pres. T. Roosevelt created 5 national parks
1916: the National Park Service was created to run the 5 national parks

31. 5.) Settlement Houses:
Many middle class reformers built places that provided educational and social services to poor people
1851: YMCA built housing for young men coming to the cities
The Salvation Army built shelters and opened up soup kitchens to help the poor
Jane Adams—Hull House

32. Progressive Changes in Government and Economics
There was a lot of economic instability after the Civil War
Many believed in laissez-faire economics
the government should stay out of business
Andrew Carnegie believed in laissez-faire economics
Laissez-faire economics was NOT a good idea
Large industrialists drove out competition and began creating monopolies
The government began to step in to place controls over the “robber barons” and runaway industry

33. 1.) Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC):
Created out of the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887
Robber barons had monopolized railroad routes
The barons could set the prices on the use of these routes as high as they wanted
Prices continued to increase
The ICC was formed in response to these higher prices
ICC oversaw interstate rail commerce
ICC banned monopolistic practices

34. 2.) Federal Trade Commission (FTC):
Created in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson
Designed to stop unfair trading and business practices among companies
Prevented companies from working together to keep prices high
Trying to establish fair trade

35. 3.) Sherman Anti-Trust Act:
1890: enacted by Congress
Banned business activities that reduced competition
Act was difficult to enforce because the details of the law were confusing
Supreme Court usually interpreted the Act in favor of the businesses, not the government

36. 4.) Clayton Act:
1914: Passed by Congress
Designed to broaden the Sherman Anti-Trust Act
Promoted competition by keeping companies from working together in order to reduce competition
Outlawed price fixing

37. 5.) 16th Amendment:
Passed in 1913
Allowed the federal government to tax income—the 1st income tax

38. 6.) Federal Reserve Act:
In the early 1900s, it became clear that the U. S. needed a strong central bank to regulate the nation’s private banks
1913: the Federal Reserve Act was passed by Woodrow Wilson
Created a network of public banks that could issue currency, make loans, and regulate private banking

39. 7.) 17th Amendment:
Called for the direct election of U. S. senators by popular vote
Before this amendment, state legislatures elected U. S. Senators
8.) 19th Amendment:
Passed in 1920
Pushed by women such as Susan B. Anthony
Resulted from women’s work during World War I
Gave women the right to vote (allowed for women’s suffrage)

40. Susan B. Anthony

41. 9.) Wisconsin Reforms:
Reforms to the way state government was controlled
Referendum—direct vote (of the people) in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy
Initiative—a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote
Recall—voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote

42. 10.) Local Government—City Manager:
Many city mayors had become very corrupt
Many cities began moving away from elected mayors because they had become too corrupt
Hired (appointed) city managers began to replace the elected mayors
First occurred in Staunton, VA
The city managers performed the same duties as what a mayor would

43. Leaders of the Progressive Changes
Theodore Roosevelt—”Square Deal”
Based on 3 principles: conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection
Aimed at helping middle class citizens and involved attacking plutocracy and bad trusts while at the same time protecting business from the extreme demands of organized labor
Promotion of anti-trust suits
Woodrow Wilson—”New Freedom”
Called for less government
Added new controls such as the Federal Reserve System and the Clayton Antitrust Act
Business Reform
Banking Reform

44. Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt

45. Woodrow Wilson

46. African Americans
After the Civil War, there was lots of discrimination toward African Americans and feed slaves
Many laws existed limiting the freedoms of African Americans
Intimidation and crimes were directed against African Americans—lynchings
Many prominent African Americans began the push to end racism during the progressive period

47. A major leader against racism Son of slave parents
1.) Booker T. Washington:
A major leader against racism
Son of slave parents
Created the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in 1881
School designed to teach African Americans vocational skills
He believed African Americans could achieve economic prosperity, independence, and the respect of whites
He accepted social separation (segregation)

48. Booker T. Washington

49. 2.) W. E. B. Dubois:
Believed education was meaningless without equality
Created the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
Wanted African American children to have equal opportunities in education

50. W. E. B. Dubois

51. 3.) Ida B. Wells:
Led an anti-lynching crusade
Called for the federal government to take action against crimes against African Americans

52. Ida B. Wells

53. Jim Crow Laws made it legal to segregate blacks and whites
Blacks were forced to:
Ride in separate rail cars
Use separate restrooms
Eat in different sections of restaurants
1896: Plessy v. Ferguson
Supreme court decision that ruled the segregation was legal as long as the facilities were equal
Basically said the Jim Crow laws were legal

55. During the early 20th Century (1900s), many African Americans began what is termed the “Great Migration”
Many African Americans began moving to northern cities
They were looking for jobs
Trying to escape the poverty in the South
Trying to escape discrimination in the South